President Donald Trump’s use of taxpayer funds to pay for campaign ads may be outright “impeachable.” This is according to former White House ethics attorney Richard Painter, who took to social media on Sunday to warn that a recent string of advertisements amounted to government-sponsored “propagandha.”
This was in reference to several advertisements aired across multiple networks promoting Trump in the run-up to the midterms. The ads – which focus on Trump’s claims that he’s fighting “communism” and “the deep state,” with one declaring he will “expel the warmongers from our government” even as his war on Iran drags into its seventh month – are tagged with disclaimers that read “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” Under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, public officials cannot use taxpayer dollars for campaigning purposes, and according to Painter – who served under President George W. Bush – these ads are in direct violation of the law.
“This could be an impeachable offense,” posted Painter on Sunday. “@POTUS has no right to use taxpayer money for campaign ads. Congress has expressly prohibited government sponsored political propaganda, which is dangerous for democracy.”
He wasn’t the only one to question the ad campaign’s legality. According to Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), the use of taxpayer money to fund ads promoting the president was “probably” illegal. As he elaborated, “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump … or John Kennedy, should spend public money … on private ads for themselves.”
The White House has attempted to dismiss such criticism by claiming the clips are not campaign ads because Trump is not on the ballot in November, but the president himself has previously instructed voters to “pretend” he is. According to the Hill, “The Trump administration also highlighted past examples of the federal government airing public service announcements, such as when the George W. Bush and Obama administrations aired spots explaining new Medicare legislation and open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act marketplace, respectively.”
“When prior Administrations utilized the airwaves, it was called ‘public education,’” the White House release reads. “When this Administration promotes pride in our country, many of those same voices call it ‘propaganda.’”
But rather than explaining the finer points of new policy initiatives, Trump’s new ads feature his typical rally rants, like, “We will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.” According to the Washington Post, over $300,000 was spent on the ads, and it is unknown which government agency footed the bill.